Following the Moon
by mrnicnixs
Summary: Bella and Edward are peacefully living in a remote Canadian area. The peace is shattered by an unknown force. How will it end for the couple and their daughter. Set post Breaking Dawn - close to cannon Twilight Saga and Vamp Dairies colide!
1. Chapter 1

**Warning! This has been written by me, a bloke sorry apologies if it sucks! :)**

******Thanks in advance for reading this! **I haven't written anything like this for years, I've only ever written short stories so this is my first long story.

**Comments, suggestions and support would be greatly and warmly welcomed.**

**Chapter 1**

The darkness swelled around them, the sounds of the forest guiding their movements as they leap and bounded through thick trees. The wind pushing their hair back from their faces as the couple silently stalked their pray together, thoughts as one.

The heat of their meal grew stronger and they slowed, following, through animal instinct, the paths and trenches used by others for many years.

A branch snapped stopping them in their tracks, the two pairs of golden eyes met for the briefest of moments catching and reading the other's thoughts.

"Ladies first" the glowing whisper came, she smiled knowing that, he, out of all people meant it to the core of his being, ever the gentleman.

She turned and gave back to her instincts, letting them flood her mind and carry her to the pray they had been tracking for nearly an hour. She stalked silently forward, showing the predatory movements she had now become accustomed to.

The prize was within her grasp, she could feel the beat of the lion's heart, smell it's fur and feel the warmth of it's body. She leaped forward like lightening striking swiftly but mercifully so not to prolong any suffering for the majestic animal.

It was over in seconds, drinking the still warm life from the lion she felt the all too familiar pang of guilt in ending a life so strong and beautiful.

She felt, rather than heard the soft sigh behind her, knowing her love was there. Willingly stopping to allow him to feed also. He bent down smoothly and drank his fill.

Both sated they sat quietly, eyes locked. He knew what would come, it always did.

"Edward, we must bury this body"

"Bella, it's just a cat"

"It's a life, we took it, I took it and I must see it to the end"

"For you my love, anything, you know that but it is not healthy, this obsession you have. Of all who have turned, you have taken to this lifestyle the most quickly, but the feeding is needed, you know that. We don't kill humans because of our respect for life, but, Bella, my love, this is a cat"

"Human or cat, it's a life we must take to live. I choose this life, I love this life, you, me and Renesme forever, but please give me this small act of respect for the lives we take, i won't be like them, ever".

"Very well... For you".

They worked quickly and in silence within a few minutes there was no trace of the swapping of a death for two lives, nothing remained to show the act.

"Let's go Bella" said Edward, not unkindly.

"Yes, let's go home" replied Bella with more happiness in her voice.

The journey back was more casual than the stalk which turned into the hunt. Full of new life, the couple jumped through the tree canopy, watching the moon racing across the sky full of the love, happiness and joy of being together and free.

The final run to their new home wove around the base of a remote hillside before reaching a small river which babbled slowly through the glen where they built their home. They stopped to clean up before heading back along the narrow footpath that lead to the small cottage they and their family had built back up from the ruin they originally bought.

Six months had passed since they found the perfect spot to settle down, a chance encounter with Kate and Garrett had lead them to find this idyllic and more importantly secluded spot to raise their unique family.

The cottage was a modest yet roomy stone building, with large gardens Bella had planted from scratch, she saw her garden as an extension of their family, grown from a difficult start but with care and love, blooming into the perfect mix of colour and beauty.

The front door of the cottage was surrounded by a large rose bush which accented the period of the building making it a breath taking sight.

They walked quietly through the front door and down the hall, past Renesme's room and slid into bed. Looking each other in the eye they moved closer, caressing each other's faces and kissing lovingly.

Bella growled softly, pulling Edward closer. He smiled gently "I think we'll need to put this on hold."

"WHAT! You can't claim you have a headache, I won't let you!"

Edward chuckled, although he looked more annoyed than playful "It's not my choice love, someone else has plans at the moment"

"MUMMY! DADDY!" yelled Renesme, bounding into the room like an over excited puppy "When did you get home! I didn't hear you, you're getting better!"

"Hey my baby" Edward said lovingly. Bella smiled warmly "It's late baby, you should be sleeping"

"I just wanted to say hi mummy" Renesme said looking disappointed

"Ok, back to your room, daddy and me will be in in a moment to read you a story, but then sleep, promise?"

Renesme's face lit up "promise, promise!" she said happily. The noise of her bounding back to her room was swiftly followed by the thumping of books and anguished sighs of indecision.

"The Buffalo story again?" asked Bella

"I think she's going to pick the lion one actually" replied Edward.

They kissed briefly and went through to Renesmee's room, she sat quietly on her bed with both a buffalo and a lion story book and a huge smile on her face.

"I couldn't choose" she said hopefully.

Edward slipped out of the room quietly with the sun, knowing that Bella was troubled once again seeing it in her eyes and in the way she moved, he strode down the hall to the kitchen.

In the two years since the standoff with the Volturi he had become a very good cook considering he himself did not eat but his Bella loved to be reminded of the old life she had, this morning he thought she could do with some cheering up, and then, of course Renesme, being of both worlds was able to eat like a human, and she did.

Renesmee's favourite food to eat and Bella's favourite food to smell were the same, pancakes, Edward's pancakes were so good they could bring both Bella and Renesme out of a bad mood in one fell swoop so he went to work carefully and quickly.

Renesmee followed her nose and ears as soon as she realised her father was at work in the kitchen, she stole silently out of her room and out the back door, she crept through the garden, picking her favourite pancake toppings. She pulled the fabric of her gown out to make a reasonable sized bowl to hold her pickings.

Once finished her make shift bowl was full of Raspberries, Blueberries, mint leave and Blackberries, her nightgown was a mess and her face was covered in fruit juice as she had played her favourite food game, one for the bowl, two for her mouth. Grinning in satisfaction with both her eaten and collected hauls she silently approached the back door which opened into the kitchen hoping to surprise her father mid-cooking. The fact that she'd never managed to do it didn't detract from her joy of trying over and over again.

"Hey little one" a deep gruff voice, so very different from her father's musical tone, said from behind her making her jump and spill half her captured fruit. "Still sneaking up on people without watching your own back I see".

Renesme dropped her gown spilling the last of the fruit on the ground, turned and pounced at the large muscular man behind her was amazing speed, completely surprising him. Her teeth caught in his long hair missing his throat by less than a centimetre.

A long low growl stopped Renesme in her tracks. "Still trying to sneak up on people I see" Edward intoned, " You should be more careful, she'll bite you one day, she's getting better by the day".

The man, still looking astonished after the speed and surprise of the attack said "One day, huh? We'll see"

"Come on in, I've made pancakes for _my_ ladies" Edward said, looking down he added "and it looks like Renesme was getting some extra toppings" Renesme beamed and jumped down picking up her lost fruit and stuffing more into her mouth.

"I don't want to intrude, I wasn't expecting you to be around yet"

"That's never stopped you before, come on in. Bella will be pleased to see you, Jake".

"Just a moment, I need to ring the breakfast bell. If that's OK with you" Jake said as if inviting a negative response.

"Jake, as always, I have made enough food to choke a pack of rabid dogs, should they come sniffing around" Edward said smiling innocently

Renesmee glared at her father "Don't listen to him Jake, he's just upset because he knows I'd have sneaked up on him this morning if you hadn't gotten here."

"I was only joking of course, Jake, the pack is always welcome here as you well know. Forgive my poor attempt at humour"

Renesmee ran to Jake and hugged him tightly "Again, don't listen, you guys are always welcome here! Go get 'em"

Jake smiled warmly at Renesmee "No need my little princess, they will come to me!"

Renesmee squealed loudly "OOOoooo... phase Jakey, phase!"

"Renesmee, don't tease, and come back here, now" Edward ordered.

Renesmee sighed and tutted in one breath, rolled her eyes and sloped back and stood beside her father.

"Reeeeeady? Steeeeeeady? GOOOOOO!" Renesmee shouted.

Jake laughed and jumped into the air, he shuddered and landed on all fours, the head of the giant wolf reared up and looked straight at the pair and winked. He trotted off to the trees and after a moment, returned on two feet again, pulling on a fresh t-shirt. "All done, they're on their way"

"That's soooooo coooooool!" Renesmee exclaimed running at Jake and leaping into his arms. "Jakey, why do you always run into the trees when you turn back into my Jake?"

Jake blushed madly "I needed to get dressed honey, it's cold without my fur".

Renesmee looked confused but then shrugged, accepting the answer.

The two men walked into the house and heard the soft padding of feet, Bella came into the kitchen and her face lit up at the sight of Jake.

"I thought I heard her playing ready, steady, go. Jake, you spoil her so much. You shouldn't let her play with you like that"

"Bella, I can't help it" he looked serious for a fraction of a second then followed up quickly saying, "she looks so sweet with all that fruit juice on her face!"


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm writing like mad, hoping to get the chapters out weekly on a Sunday! :) **

**Thanks for reading! Comments always welcome!**

Following the moon – Chapter 2

"We've got to get moving Bella, we're meeting the family at 2 in Port Alice" Edward said rising slowly from his chair. "I'm sure we can leave this lot to clean up their mess"

"That's not very host-like Edward" Bella admonished.

"No, no, not's not like you lot eat is it, our bad, plus I want to catch a few z's on your plush couch" Seth joked

Renesmee jumped up from the table and landed squarely on Seth's stomach "Hey little man, you do as you're told!" Seth let out a pained huff of breath

"Woe, woe, kidding, kidding and what do you mean little man, I'm like, 15 years older than you!" Seth exclaimed

"Yeah, but girls mature faster than boys, that's what mummy says, me more than most! Mummy, how old am I compared to him?" Renesmee asked

"You're about 6 Essy" Bella called from the bedroom "get off Seth and pack what you need for the car, we need to go soon"

"Ha!" Renesmee said triumphantly "told you! Am not that little, little man"

"Shoot, it's still 11 years" Seth sulked.

Edward chuckled "come on Renesmee, your mum is right, we need to go soon or we'll be late" He looked at Seth with warmth, "thanks for letting her win" he said as Renesmee bounced out of the kitchen to her room.

"She's a peach, I can't disappoint her" Seth said slightly embarrassed.

"Come on" Jake said pulling Seth up from the couch "washing or drying"

"Awww... you kidding?" Seth asked hopefully

"Nope" Jake said commandingly

Bella was packing her supplies for the road, mainly things for Renesmee, extra clothes, blankets and books.

"What is it Bella, I know something's wrong. You hide it well, I may not be able to read your mind but I can still tell when you are upset about something"

"Edward, this isn't the time, we have to go"

"It's never a good time, it's the Volturi isn't it. Bella we are nothing like them. We don't need to bury cats to prove that, the fact we respect life shows it. We are not and never will be like them."

"Oh Edward, I'm not worried we're like them, I'm worried they're looking for us. Something doesn't feel right. I don't know what it is, but something is different, I've been noticing less and less life in the area recently, you can't say you haven't. I'm worried we're being penned in without knowing anything about it. There's something not right, Edward, I scared, for us, for our family"

Edward sighed gently "Bella, I have noticed some changes recently, but it is not the Volturi, I don't know what it is, but I know it's not them"

"How Edward, how do you know, how do you know we're not in danger, convince me!"

"I can't, but I've followed the Volturi since that day, Alice has been watching, they are still licking their wounds. They have grown strong again, recruited new vampires to their ranks as we knew they would but they are still tied to Volterra. They are still too scared to come after us. They won't even consider it for years. I didn't want to worry you about this, that's why I didn't tell you. We can ask Alice and Carlisle when we meet them if they are aware of anything"

Bella sat down softly "OK, we'll ask, but if it's not them then there's something else"

"Yes, something more subtle, I don't know what but we do not need to worry, we can handle anything that comes our way, I know we can, we always have"

Bella smiled, the first genuine smile Edward had seen for days "You're right my love, we can and will handle anything" and drew Edward down beside her. The kiss they shared was soft and loving yet forceful in a way only those truly in love and passionate about each other can know.

Bella finished packing quickly "Which car Edward? I need to throw this stuff in the back and then get Renesmee"

"We'll take the Mustang" Edward said with a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Great" said Bella "That damn car is the only thing I've ever been jealous of with you"

"Yeah, she's a beauty isn't she" Edward mused

"Yeah, a real Christine" remarked Bella

He stood watching Bella help Renesmee into the back door of the car. He admired the lines of the Ford Mustang, the arch of the wheel covers and the stripes as they moved over the bonnet. Waxed to a high shine she was the pride of his car collection. He had faster cars, he had flashier cars but none compared to his Mustang.

"Edward, it's a car, come on, it goes from A to B, well, when someone drives it rather than looks at it"

Edward snapped awake "Sorry" he murmured as he slipped behind the wheel and turned over the engine. It died to a soft growl as he backed out of the garage.

"Remember to lock the door!" He yelled as he passed the front of the house, he received a slow salute from Leah in his rear view window and a gesture which wasn't so gallant followed swiftly behind it.

"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine. I had a quick word with Jake and asked him to keep the guys alert for anything new in the area. He was worried as well"

"OK" Edward said in a clipped tone and sped through the trees along the road which was little more than a dirt track. After a short while he turned slowly onto a main road and headed southeast toward Port Alice some 75k away. After an hour they entered the Port Alice and drove quickly through the main town and beyond to Carlisle and Esme's house.

They parked in front of the two story house. It looked nothing like their cottage although the settings were similar. The house in front of them was spectacular. It seemed to rear up from the landscape with no effort. Beautifully blending in with the surrounding forest, yet so completely different in structure a material it should have looked odd and out of place.

The full length panes of glass shimmered in the muted sunlight and the canopy which reached above the house gave the whole area a mossy living feel. The pale stone work of the supporting pillars blended nicely into the muted green and brown sea of the landscape and enhanced both the house and the surrounding forest.

Edward felt a slight pang as he compared the house to the house they left in Forks knowing that whether they meant it or not this was almost an exact replica. The pang he felt was the guilt he still carried for driving them away from Forks and the life they and settled into. Although in his head he knew they would have had to move on from the area as their agelessness begun to raise questions his heart broke for Carlisle and Esme as they had been comfortable and happy in Forks.

Renesmee, dulled from the journey groaned from the back of the car "Daddy, why have we stopped, I don't need the toilet, and I just want to see Granny and Grandpa".

"You will Essy, in just a moment, they are coming to the car now"

With this shock realisation Renesmee sat bolt upright, looking around her. Her grinning smile spreading wider and wider on her face "Granny, Grandpa! Yeay!"

Edward leaned effortlessly over and unbuckled her and she shot out of the car into the arms of Carlisle and then a dual hug from Esme sent her into heaven as she giggled and smiled, looking into the loving faces of her grandparents.

Carlisle extracted himself from the three way hug and walked quickly to the car, helping Bella, hugging her closely to him "It's fantastic to see you again Bella, it's been too long"

"Carlisle, I'm sorry, we've been so busy recently, we've hardly had time to sit down"

He looked back over his shoulder "She's growing fast, I can see why you would have been busy!" and smiled brightly. Edward approached with his arms open, embracing Carlisle warmly. "Carlisle, how are you, how have you been?"

"We're well Edward, we have a surprise for you and no peaking!"

"Too late" said Edward as the three of them linked arms and walked toward the still hugging Renesmee and her name sake Esme. "Well don't say anything to spoil the surprise" said Carlisle.

"Wait, you know I don't like surprises guys" said Bella cautiously

"It's for all of you actually" Esme interjected having to peel Renesmee off her and start leading her toward the house.

The next few minutes ran in a blur, even to the high speed eyes of a vampire. They opened the front door and Renesmee walked in first, there was a blur of white and a high pitch squeal as someone threw themselves at the new arrivals.

Bella reacted with lightening speed throwing herself through the door and intercepting the moving target before they got to Renesmee. As soon as she caught the intruder she realised what her surprise was as Alice jumped up squealing, kissing and hugging her.

Bella, in a flood of understanding and relief laughed happily hugging the still manic Alice back furiously. "Alice! You gave me a fright!"

"Me?" the laugh that accompanied the shocked question was like the tingle of metal whine chimes on a soft evening breeze. "How could I scare anyone!" she looked a little annoyed.

"I wasn't expecting you, that's all, I thought you and Jasper were still in Brazil!" Bella said mollifying the increasingly pouting Alice.

"Well, OK then, I guess I understand" and she smiled happily "Where's my beautiful niece, Oh my! How you've grown up" more hugging ensued and Jasper cautiously entered the room. Edward instantly understood that Jasper was not sure whether Renesmee was classed as food or family and so he was keeping his distance until he knew more. Edward realised more deeply than Jasper that the caution was linked to the incident which seemed to have happened a lifetime ago which lead to the near fatal separation of himself and Bella.

He understood and respected Jasper's hesitance and thanked him for it but could not let that drop his guard.

Eventually, the house settled back down to questions about how Renesmee was enjoying herself, how she was progressing, were her powers still the same when out of the blue Edward asked "Carlisle, have you heard about anything... strange... about this area?"

"No, not really, why do you ask?" asked Carlisle, his interest piqued immediately.

"Bella and I have both felt something is not quite right, I was hoping that you knew about it."

"Not right in what way?" Carlisle asked both Edward and Bella.

"We're not sure, it's not Volturi, I'm certain of that. It doesn't feel like our kind or the pack. We just don't know"

"Let me look around for anything unusual, there has been a number of hikers and campers who have gone missing in recent months but it's not that uncommon. Alice have you seen anything that might suggest a problem?"

Alice looked confused "No, but then I have dark spots whenever the pack is close, so it doesn't mean there isn't anything going on".

"Let's keep an eye or two open for anything unusual, has the pack found anything?"

"No, but they have sensed something too, they don't know what it is either" replied Edward.

"Enough of this talk" scolded Esme "We haven't been together for a very long time, let's not fill it all with this".

Everyone agreed happily but Edward knew Carlisle wouldn't let anything go until he had an answer. An answer that Edward himself would resolve. He would let nothing interrupt or threaten his family's lives.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Welcome back! Hope your enjoying so far, let me know! :)**

**Ideas for next chapters also welcomed :)**

Following the moon – Chapter 3

The day was dragging for Jake, the others were out on patrol, he phased every hour to make sure everyone was doing what they were meant to be doing and to check any reports. Nothing new, just human and dog tracks.

Why was he so unsettled? He imprinted on Renesmee and knew that anything which could harm her would instantly put him on alert but there was nothing, just humans and dogs. Dogs being walked by humans.

Nothing unusual at all, maybe that was what was wrong, he had spent so long fighting, maybe he just couldn't settle into this world of peace, nothing to fight against the enemies who bore his kind into the world were now friends. He sat quietly soaking in the thought.

There were others who could threaten him and his new family but with the Cullens so close it was unlikely. He had a choice, the legends said he could choose, not phasing led to the inability to phase, he would revert to human. He promised he would do it for Bella once, why not Renesmee? The centre of his world. She would grow old, slowly, but still she would grow old. Maybe this choice was the source of his discomfort.

He sighed heavily and lay back on the couch in the Quileute camp which was built further up the glen from Renesmee's house. This was a constant bone of contention within the pack, Seth loved being so close to the Cullen's, "free food and a great place to put your feet up" he was constantly saying. Embray and Quil were OK with it as well "Gotta live somewhere right?" But, Leah, the constant thorn in his side made her thoughts and feeling about being so close to 'bloodsuckers' perfectly clear at every opportunity. As for Jake's imprinting on one of them, this she found the most difficult thing to accept, her pack was lead by someone who loved a bloodsucker.

Leah had particular problems with imprinting, she'd never done it herself but the man she had loved had. Not on her. She understood the draw but she could not live with the pain of it in the original pack, the man she loved leading that pack was too much to bear. Hearing his thoughts made her life to complex, too difficult. That was the reason for her move to Jake's pack, but now, it had happened again, her pack was lead by someone imprinted the wrong person.

Jake felt sorry for Leah but she didn't help her situation by causing constant ructions within the pack. He sighed again and shook his head to clear his thoughts, he couldn't phase and link minds with this train of thought so fresh.

He grabbed a sandwich and drink and walked out toward the woods breathing in the air around him closing his eyes. He gulped the food and phased instantly.

"No, nothing here" Embray and Quil parroted their updates in unison

"Same here" said Leah obviously trying not to think about Jake's last human form thoughts.

"Nothing here but dogs Jake, a lot of dogs, smells like a pack which is a bit strange but not unusual" Seth reported.

"Not unusual... Where are you Seth? Are you in the south west area" asked Jake.

"Right, where I should be boss" replied Seth, still as eager to please as ever.

"How far are you from San Josef Seth?" asked Jake quickly.

"Not too far, I'd say about 10k"

"I'm on my way to check it out"

"Chasing dogs Jake, why not chase some cars as well Jake, better yet, chase your tail!" said Leah angrily

"Leah! Cut it out!" cried Seth in frustration at his sisters rudeness "We can all hear you"

"10k is a long way to have a large pack of dogs running about, it doesn't sound like 'walkies' time to me" explained Jake

Leah snorted, "you should know all about walkies Jake, that bloodsucker has you wrapped around her little finger, the 'mother' too".

"Cut it out Leah!"shouted Seth

"Leah, take a break, get some food and sleep then head back out later" order Jake.

"Sir, yes, sir! It'll be a pleasure" replied Leah testily.

Her mind disappeared from the group. Knowing she'd phased back Jake apologised over and over to Jake.

"Seth, enough, we have other things to deal with, Leah has has her own problems she'll have to live with, we all knew that when we joined the pack, so don't worry about it" Jake said trying to show empathy for Leah's situation "I'm coming toward you now."

Jake leapt over the hills and troughs of the forest reading the winds and the ground to find the quickest route through the tight tangles of trees. Letting his mind run his body, instincts taking over, this was the closest he could come to tuning out the pack mind.

The others realised this and kept their thoughts quiet and reported only the minimal amount to allow their Alpha to have his space.

As he approached the south west area of his pack's territory he slowed his pace and kept his mind on the smells and minute signs of animal tracks, hunting information, hunting an explanation for the uneasy feeling he had had for weeks and was confirmed by Bella. Something was wrong in his world and he'd find out what it was and stop it by whatever means necessary.

He came to the area where Seth had first raised his concerns and concentrated the animal half of his brain on sensing the area, pulling together a story in his head about when and where animals had passed through, following tracks both in smell and on the ground.

Slowly he traced Seth's movements round trees, over brooks and through brambles, Seth had been thorough in the area. Although not a surprise he made a mental note to thank him.

He picked up the smells and markers of dogs on leads with their human masters, squirrels and many other woodland creatures. Comfortingly the most powerful smell was of his pack meaning they were carrying out their duties well.

He entered a clearing, slowly tracing the multiple tracks of smells, suddenly he stopped, something was not right here, something under the traces of his pack. Dogs, humans what was it, something was not right. The smells hadn't changed but had in a subtle way. What was it his mind screamed.

"Jake!" yelled Seth so strongly it took a moment for Jake to recover. "Incoming!"

Seth leaped into the clearing, teeth bared ready to protect his Alpha with his life. "Calm down Seth, clear your mind and listen, nothing's wrong".

"But you screamed"

"Learn to listen, not just react Seth, since you're here, help me, follow the tracks in this clearing, something is not right here, something with the smells and the tracks. I can't figure it out"

"Sorry Jake" Seth said quietly as he sloped off to do as he was told.

"Stop apologising, it's starting to get annoying" Jake said slightly irritated "just concentrate"

"Sorr..." Seth caught himself. He stooped his head and walked slowly keeping his nose close to the ground trying to figure out what Jake couldn't.

Jake sat in the clearing, knowing that Seth would alert him to anything he hadn't noticed or if something was out of place. "I'll be back in a moment guys".

"Jake, what's going on whe..." Seth was cut off as Jake phased back to two legs. He remained sitting in the exact centre of the clearing with his eyes closed thinking hard about the information he'd filtered out from the area.

Dogs and humans, nothing strange about that, many residents of the nearby town of Holberg (San Josef) liked to get out in the wilds with their companions. So why was it a problem, what was it.

His mind raced, there was something about the combination of the smells, dogs and humans.

His eyes snapped open, his breathing hard. He phased so fast Seth, still close in the clearing, jumped with a start. "Everyone, I'm going to find Carlisle"

"You can't do that! They are outside our territory, we promised not to go there!" shouted Seth.

"To bad, I need to see him, now. You guys go home and rest, don't phase. Stay!" ordered Jake

"Yes sir" came the chorus of replies. Knowing they had no choice but to follow his orders Jake realised that sometime being Alpha had it's advantages. He cleared his mind and sprinted south east until he had tracked his pack back to their homes and his mind was alone again.

Usually, the wind and freedom rarely experienced with the pack mind made everything right, everything came back into focus but this time his mind. He was thinking of the smells, dogs and human, humans and dog, the balance, the balance was wrong, too much dog, not enough human his mind was honing in on a single thought, a single conversation with Carlisle, a single word spoken by Carlisle. Connected to the Volturi.

The word was "werewolves"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! Hope this is up to scratch! :)**

Following the moon – Chapter 4

The journey home was quieter for Edward and Bella, Renesmee fell asleep in the back of the car almost as soon as they drove away from the house. Edward put on some soothing music concerned that his chosen topic of conversation had further upset his wife.

"Bella... I'm sorry to bring up out concerns so blatantly" he said in automatic defence

"No, no, I feel a lot better knowing that I'm not the only one thinking about this. You are looking after your family, how can I be angry at that, my love" she purposely dropped her defences allowing Edward to understand and trust the relief she felt deeply.

He seemed satisfied so she continued "What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know, I really don't but Carlisle will find out if there's anything strange or unusual going on and we can keep an eye out around here. I'll speak to Jake as well. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to help" he looked out of the window, hardly concentrating on the road at all. Watching the forest flowing past he realised he felt better than he had for weeks. Bella's defences were down and he could hear that her thoughts were easing and the negativity melting away. This he knew was the catalyst for his own relaxation.

He glanced at Bella and smiled to himself as he took in her beauty. She was not the same as the first day he'd seen her in Biology class back in Forks what seemed like a lifetime ago, even to him. Her face was tighter, more enhanced by the Vampire blood now running through her veins, her smell was no longer the intoxicating perfume she'd had when she was human and the understanding of her powers now allowed him access to her thoughts, when she allowed it.

All these things had drawn him to her like a moth to a flame and he had thrown caution to the wind to be with her. None of these existed anymore other than in his memory. But now, looking at her profile, the slight smile on her lips, the long dark hair moving in the breeze as the car moved effortless across the south west of Canada he was struck by how little had changed since those days. His love for her had never faultered, never skipped a beat from the moment her met her. So much had changed, and yet, nothing had.

Bella returned his glance and smiled warmly at her husband, no nothing important had changed since they first found each other, her thoughts conveyed the same depth of emotion that he felt.

"Edward?" Bella asked in a curious tone "You can read my thoughts, I, unfortunately, cannot do the same, what are you thinking?"

"Nothing, just having thoughts" replied Edward playfully

"I know that look Edward, and... I know you" she replied huskily

"I know you do" Edward said tapping his head "remember?"

Bella snorted a muffled laugh as she saw Edward's expression reflect the sudden silence in his head "You're not the only one with powers" Bella imitated Edwards head tapping "remember?"

They both stifled laughs, glancing quickly behind them to ensure Renesmee was not being disturbed.

"I love you... wife" Edward said with sudden intensity.

"and I love you... husband" replied Bella mirroring Edward's tone.

Their hands linked over the gear shift, binding together as if a physical expression of their mutual love.

"You never answered my question" Bella said quietly

"I was thinking about how much has changed since we first met, and yet how little has changed"

Bella raised an eyebrow questioningly

Edward sighed "When we first met, you were so many things, there were so many reasons for me to fall in love with you, it took a long time for you to see them. Some of them have changed but the love I feel for you has never faltered, not once. So you see, a lot of changes, but also very few"

"As long as we're together, that's all that matter to me" Bella replied

"We will be love, always"

The rest of the journey was driven in relative silence, just the muted sounds of Indy music mixed with a light rain pattering on the roof and the gentle and steady breath from the back seat. Bella and Edward settled in the mutual love they shared between each other and their miraculous daughter, asleep gently in the back seat.

As Edward turned the car off the main road he got a vivid image from Bella's mind. As soon as they thought had entered her head the defences had shot up instinctively.

"Really?" asked Edward in slight surprise

"Well, yes, what thoughts did you think this discussion would lead to!" Bella replied, slightly flustered, but only slightly.

Edward smiled at Bella, his flashest most endearing smile. Bella sniggered "that only works now because I love you, you know that, right?"

Edward feinted a pained looked "Yeah, I guess so" he replied jokingly

They pulled up to the house and continued round to the back. With a flick of the switch mounted to the sun visor on the car Edward opened the garage door for the Mustang, drove slowly into the empty space and stopped.

"Well, before anything else, I guess we have a little one to put to bed" he looked lovingly at the back seat where Renesmee was passed out.

Bella nodded and before another breath had passed Renesmee's lips her mother was bundling her gently into her arms and her father was holding the door into the house open to allow them both to move freely, and quietly to her room.

Bella tucked Renesmee into bed, making sure she was comfortable and Edward leaned over and gently placed a light kiss on his daughters forehead and smoothed back a stray strand of hair from her face.

Her parents looked at her lovingly seeing the angel that they bore together. Knowing the trauma of her first few hours in the world and the difficulties they had faced to protect her only made her all the more amazing to them.

They slide quietly out of the room and went to the kitchen. "So, your barrier is still up, want to let me into the secret?"

"Nope, you'll have to wait" Bella replied fluttering her eyelashes, taking him by the hand and guiding out of the back door toward the darken forest.

"Bella, where are we going? What about Renesmee?" Edward asked concerned

"Renesmee will be fine, if she wakes up, we'll probably find her in our bed, as usual. As to where we're going, you'll need to wait and see, won't you" Bella said tapping her head and chuckling.

"Oh!" replied Edward, a smile broadening on his face "some alone time?"

Bella's only reply was a smile and a gentle tug on his arm before she seemed to float into the forest. Edward raced to catch her. "Playing again?" Edward called as he increased his speed.

The two lovers flew through the forest in their playful race, Edward leapt at Bella and caught her shoulder, twisting her round and throwing her to the ground lustfully. He moved quickly pinning her down and kissing her deeply. Bella broke the kiss smiling playfully, twisting her body she broke his hold on her but only managed to get a few feet before he pounced again, they both laughed playfully as they rolled together.

Gradually the sounds and activities of the forest restarted as if it was reawakening, birds called and the wind whistled through the branches.

There was a movement high in the trees as a large black bird unfurled it's wings. An amused expression came to its face lighting the deep gray eyes which were partially hidden by the jet black feathers.

It lifted off agilely from the branch and let out a craw of amusement. It concentrated hard, a thought erupting from it with immense power. Controlled, the thought was directed to a single mind as precisely as an arrow from a bow knowing instinctively it would hit it's mark.

"Guess who I just came across?" the bird taunted its target.


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy Hallow's Eve all! I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)**

Following the moon – Chapter 5

Jake ran faster than he thought he ever could, thoughts racing through his head. He tried to filter and categorise all the information he knew about werewolves. He and his pack, his kind were shape shifters, not governed by the phases of the moon.

Never seeing their difference as a curse, but as a gift, a gift to protect those they loved. He was absolutely convinced that his actions now would show that. His family, other than the pack, Renesmee and Bella, the two people he cared most for outside his pack were in trouble and they didn't know it. He might be wrong but he'd rather be wrong than sorry. There was something wrong, the smells were wrong. He had to know, he had to find out sooner rather than risk is pack and family.

A light rain started to fall, whipped by the wind his fur bristled with movement, steady as he bound effortlessly through the thick undergrowth ahead and beside him. The muscles in his shoulders and legs working in harmony, tensed and relaxed in perfect sequence pushing him faster and faster through the forest.

He knew the area near Port Alice would be harder to navigate, he was headed directly to a populated area, he didn't have time to waste going extra miles to go round the area. Glad, yet again, of the clothes he had strapped to his hind leg which would allow him to move more freely through the gardens and lots next to the houses.

The town of Port Alice wasn't a large town which reduced the risk of him being seem but the treaty forebode his presence there. He remembered the discussions when they first moved to the area, the treaty was to protect for the Cullens, not from the pack, but from the humans which was in turn protection for Renesmee and him. That was the reason he agreed to the treaty in the first place. "No time for any of that now, there's a more immediate danger!" he thought as he pushed himself faster through the woods.

He started to sense more people in the area and slowed his pace little by little until he was near the outskirts of the town. It was quiet, most people would be using the evening to go out and meet their friends, not suspecting in any way that there might be a battle brewing on their back step, enjoying their lives.

He pushed his thoughts back in time to try to forget the werewolves, there was nothing he could do until he spoke to Carlisle. He thought of his home near Forks. The reservation had been a place of solace, his tribal brothers and sisters provided the security he now sought in his blood enemies. The town of Forks had never paid his tribe much notice, it was not strange to see a group of "reservation" kids in town. They never made trouble, they were accepted by the townsfolk.

But here, they were different, they were outsiders. They rarely went to Holberg and never went to Port Alice. On the rare occasion they did go to Holberg they were treated with distrust because they were different. They moved differently, there was nothing outwardly different other than their ancestry which, he was sure, wasn't the reason for the distrust. The primeval part of the human brain knew they were different, The human survival instinct was strong, very strong. It was papered over by a thin veneer of civilisation but it distrusted anything which wasn't the same as itself.

He blamed no one for their reactions but understood the reasons behind them. Instinctual, like him, like his pack, like his kind. The humans distrust was no different to his shape shifting, it just was and he accepted that. Only God knew what would happen if the Holberg townsfolk only knew how different they really were.

When they had moved to the area, his pack, himself, Leah, Seth, Embray and Quil had moved so he could be near Renesmee. Aside from Leah's objections the most difficult thing for all of them was the fact that they no longer had somewhere to fit, a place to call home. They had moved from their ancestral home, their birth place to somewhere new, somewhere where they were not accepted.

All this made it difficult in Holberg unless they travelled and were seen with the Cullens, they were just ignored at those times. Just visiting friends in the area, white friends, normal people, even thought they were astonishingly beautiful.

When they moved with Renesmee they agreed with the other Cullens that they would not patrol past Quatsino or Coal Harbour, a natural break point for North Vancouver Island. This was not strictly enforced by either party but it did make it easier when patrolling as there were fewer distracting smells. He understood that the other Cullens found it more comfortable having a distinct break line between themselves and the pack. They were obviously scared he mused.

He stopped, having reached the last line of natural defence before the manmade structures ahead of him started to become more prevalent. He phased in a small clearing sheltered from any unwanted attention by some fairly recent dead fall and dressed with the clothes he had. He breathed deeply and strode confidently out of the last vestiges of the forest.

As he made his way through the outlying houses of the small town, as expected, he was met with glances and in some cases stares accompanied by low toned muttering.

He quickened his pace and was soon on the other side of the town and in the protective embrace of the forest, carefully, he undressed and retied his clothes to his leg before phasing back to his wolf form.

In the last few minutes before he reached the other Cullens house it was impossible not to think about the werewolf possibility. Once again he ordered his thoughts so that he could explain the situation and facts he was aware of to Carlisle. Hopefully he would learn something then and there, if not he could give Carlisle a head start.

"Stop right where you are, wolf" a musical voice ordered with an underlying force "You aren't supposed to be here, it's too much of a risk for us, and for you". Alice seemed to float down to the ground from a tree directly in front of Jake. She had a smile on her face but it was impossible for Jake to tell whether it was friendly or not.

Jake snarled to show he was in a hurry and started to move toward where he thought the Cullens house would be. Given the smell, it hasn't hard to pinpoint, unfortunately Alice stood between him and where he needed to go.

Two arms circled his neck with enough force to stop him in his tracks "The lady asked you to stop, she was polite so I suggest you do it" a beautiful soft southern accent requested. Jake didn't have time for this so he stood stock still as asked. As Jake made it obvious he was stopping the arms slackened and were then removed. Jasper moved round in front of him with what looked like an amused and slightly smug smile on his face.

"It's a shame I can't read your thoughts, you'll need to phase to explain why you're here and why I'm not 'seeing you off the premises'"

Jake moved instinctively to a place screened on most sides in order to phase and dress. He came out a few short minutes later with a look of frustration on his face. "I need to see Carlisle, it's urgent"

"Oh? So urgent you would break your agreement?" asked Jasper. Jake felt a sea of calmness wash over him abruptly. That was definitely not what he knew he felt.

"Stop messing about Jasper, I need to see Carlisle about some strange things happening near Holberg" Jake explained in earnest.

"Strange? Hmmm..." Jasper mused increasing Jakes frustration "Come on then, Carlisle is already looking into it"

"What? What do you mean?" Jake said surprised

"Edward and Bella expressed the same thing earlier today and asked Carlisle to look into it" replied Jasper as he lead Jake to the house.

"Carlisle!" called Jasper taking Jake, almost by the hand into and through the house. "I do believe that young Jake here has some information that might be of use to you in your current research" said Jasper as Carlisle walked down the stairs staring at Jake.

"Carlisle, I think there are werewolves in the area" and explained what he had found, where and how he come to his conclusion.

"Interesting theory, I'll look into it in more detail but it does tie in with what we already know"

"Theory? Theory? If it's true they have to be killed, I will not allow those things to run free in my territory." Jake said with force.

"I understand your concern and applaud your exuberance but if there are werewolves how do you intend to find them? Are you going to phase and search through each house in North Vancouver Island?"

"We'll find them, we know where they go and we can take them out"

"Jake, you have to understand that werewolves are not like you, they may not even know what they are, there is not another full moon for three weeks, we can try and find them. Let me ask about any new people in the area and at the hospital, drifters perhaps, anyone the people around here aren't familiar with."

"Fine Carlisle, but in three weeks, they won't be here, so you go and find out who they are if you want, it won't matter soon" with that Jake turned and strode commandingly to the door.

"Jake, listen, we can't afford for known people to go missing here, that's why we must know who they are or at least who they aren't!" Carlisle called behind him

Jake stopped, the understanding hitting him, biting him more deeply than Carlisle would realise. They had to be outsiders, like him, like his pack. If they weren't they would have to wait. The werewolves would need to be like him for him to protect his vampire family.

Jake turned to Carlisle and nodded "three weeks, Carlisle, find them" Jake closed his eyes and leapt out the front door without acknowledging Carlisle's response. He phased as soon as he felt the air pressure from the house released and he knew he was outside.

Carlisle floated to his study and shut the door, indicating to the others in the house he was not to be disturbed. His study was his own space, one wall was a single paned sheet of glass looking out over the beauty of Victoria Lake, the three remaining walls of the room were covered in purpose built shelves, each shelf was full of books which comprised of titles from fiction to fact from legends to modern greats.

He moved toward the back of the room slowly, considering Jake's words and honed in on part of the rear wall, the books looking older and more well read than the others in the collection. He identified the section of the shelf which contained books about old world legends; he had books about vampires, the Volturi, shape shifters, witches and more importantly, werewolves.

He took a single tome from the shelf, turned and moved to his desk. He sat down and quietly soaked in the view over the lake and surrounding forest. With the quickly descending red sun just starting to touch the tree line, he centred his thoughts and cleared his mind focusing only on the task at hand.

With a wave of his hand the desk light soaked the centre of his large mahogany desk in a subtle light, he took the tome and opened it allowing the smell of the book to direct his research.

Eight hours later, he emerged from the study and picked up the phone, dialled a number from memory and waited as the singles travelled down the line. "Hello? Came the answer" the voice he'd known for years, a voice he loved. He hated to discuss such topics over a phone especially with Edward.

"Edward, it's Carlisle. Jake came to see me yesterday with an interesting theory"

Carlisle explained what Jake had suspected and entwined Edward and Bella's own thoughts and discomforts with it and then ran through his research on werewolves.

"Edward, we have three weeks before they show again. We need to figure out what we are going to do"

"You're right Carlisle, we cannot risk any of these things being known people in the area. We need to find out who they are. Please ask around at the hospital and I'll do the same thing up here. Holberg seems to be the central point for Jake's concerns. It's pretty small, new people will be have been seen"

"Keep in touch Edward"

"You too Carlisle, I need to tell Bella what's going on, we'll speak with Jake and the pack as well."

Edward hung up the phone and called the pack "Please Jake, can you come to the house, I need to speak with you, all of you". The reply was curt and quick "On our way now"

Edward then put food in the oven, if he was going to control the situation and information, it would be easier with wolves with full stomachs.


	6. Chapter 6

**As always, keen for feedback!**

Following the moon – Chapter 6

The pack arrived at the house within twenty minutes of Edward's call "I've asked Carlisle to come to explain the situation" he said to the assembled mass of vampires and wolves. "In the mean time I've made some refreshments, they are in the kitchen" Edward looked directly at Seth.

"Hell yeah!" said Seth smiling broadly "thought I could smell something good".

Seth, Quil and Embry turned and left through the door which led to the kitchen. They were greeted by a smorgasbord of food. Muffins, pastries, pizza and juice covered the table. They all took their seats and tucked into the mountain of food.

Edward glanced at Jake "not hungry Jake" he asked confused.

"Famished, but I'm not getting side tracked until I know what's going on" he replied looking pointedly at Edward.

"We've got about an hour before Carlisle gets here, you may as well use the time and eat. The last thing we need is a discussion punctuated by your stomach having it's say"

Jake looked at Edward and realised, in a flash of understanding, that the he couldn't talk about the problem until Carlisle was here not because he wouldn't but because he needed to make sure the information was understood. He knew Edward thought that he still didn't trust him so anything he said could be open to question. Carlisle on the other hand, Jake trusted Carlisle and Edward knew that.

Whatever the story was Edward had to convince the Alpha that it was right and to do this he felt he needed to use Carlisle to express the gravity of the situation.

Jake nodded, knowing that Edward would not back down and went into the kitchen.

Seth greeted his Alpha with happiness, moving his seat to the side to make room for him. He had already piled up a plate for Jake and after sitting down Jake had it shoved under his nose.

"Man these guys are good cooks, considering they don't eat!" Seth praised through a mouth full of Mac and cheese.

"Yup" agreed Jake.

Leah looked on, picking at the food, not so much eating but putting up a face of inclusion. Knowing that her brothers were in the lap of the bloodsuckers and not wanting to inflame the situation in their den. But she would remember this, she would do something to show them they were wrong about them.

Jake looked at Leah, glad their minds weren't linked, anxious about Carlisle and his information. He stood up abruptly "Leah, outside, now"

"You can't command when you're on two legs Jacob" spat Leah

"NOW!" shouted Jake turning, not waiting for an answer

Leah snorted but followed quickly slapping Seth across the back of the head on the way past as he stifled a laugh at her expense.

Outside Jake was standing stock still listening to the breeze through the trees calming his tempter before Leah joined him. She did so quietly "What is it Jake?"

"What is your problem Leah? Why do you have such a chip on your shoulder about the Cullens"

"Jake, what the hell? They are our natural enemies, we exist to destroy their kind but you're cuddled up with them so tight that you can't see the truth, you can't see anything"

"Leah, I know this stuff, it's not my fault I imprinted, but I did, it is only Renesmee. The others am not linked to but you must understand I need Renesmee, you know that as well as I do."

"Yeah, I know, but this is wrong, being so close to them is wrong and you know that!" Leah countered

"Yes, Leah, I do know that, but I have no choice, and while that is the case, you will say or do nothing to upset the balance"

"OK, OK... I'll be on my best behaviour, for now..." with that Lean spun on the spot and returned to the house.

Jake sighed and shook his head. "MY JAKEY!" he heard as Renesmee bounded gracefully at him at full speed and leapt. He effortlessly caught her in mid air spinning her round to bleed the speed she'd built up. His world became whole again, he felt the familiar pull toward her and the protective instinct kicked in. They started playing catch, Renesmee leaping and jumping around the garden and the surrounding trees, light as a feather. Jake bounded after her matching each leap, but heavier and more in tune with the trees to which he leapt, more sure footed. It was a close match.

Jake knew nothing else until Edward called "Jake! Carlisle has arrived. Renesmee, please go to your room for a little while, we have to have a little talk" Renesmee groaned as Jake took her into the house and down to her room.

"Stay safe until I see you again" Jake hugged her tightly

"You always say that Jakey" she replied sitting on her bed. Jake left her pondering which set of toys to play with, or maybe a book? She raised an eyebrow in concentration, Jake smiled as he closed over the door and walked toward the lounge.

The scene he entered into was not what he was expecting, his pack, including Leah were mingling with the Cullen's, Leah, Seth, Quil and Embray still balancing plates of food were chatting easily with not only Edward and Bella but also Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice. No one looked uncomfortable or out of place or even uneasy. He silently thanked his pack for their support knowing that it wasn't the easiest situation to be in and the discomfort they must be feeling.

After a few minutes, Edward cleared his throat "we all know why we're here. There's something not quite right in this area. Jake gave us a possible theory and Carlisle has done a huge amount of research in order to get some hard facts about what we might be up against, Carlisle"

"Thank you Edward, yes, Jake came to me with a theory I was hesitant to believe because the impact of it being true was too difficult and complicated to fathom however, after pouring over my books and the internet last night I am convinced he was correct in this thinking. We believe there are werewolves in the area"

A silence filled the room, the words reverberating off the walls. A snicker came from the assembled group. Jake glanced quickly at Seth who shrugged his shoulders "What? They are just dogs who come out at night and try and be scary, big deal. We can take 'em!" he smiled widely.

Carlisle, unusually, did not smile it this response "Seth, this is more complex than you can imagine, I will try to explain but I don't expect the full impact of this to register with any of you immediately" he glanced at Jake with this comment.

"Firstly, being a lycan, or true werewolf, is not the same as shape shifting, shape shifters are conscious of the change, you make the choice to change and you retain your minds when you have changed, lycans do not. It is completely conceivable that a lycan does not even know he or she is one. This leads onto the second point, we don't know who they are, if they are well known in the communities they cannot just disappear, if they are a new group in town, that could be different." He trailed off.

"There's something else" Edward prompted

"Yes" answered Carlisle

"Tell them Carlisle"

"Edward alludes to the third point, werewolves are hunted, we've known this for a while and we've known how by, the Volturi"

Bella had an involuntary intake of breathe and her mind raced back to memories of the merciless faces which stared at her while they decided whether or not to attack and quite probably destroy the Cullen clan.

"Yes, it's possible the Volturi will come here, if they actually know about them" finished Carlisle.

"There's more, because lycan's are ruled by pure instinct and the phases of the moon there is a high possibility that they are stronger than you, and us"

"What? I don't understand what the difference is, they're wolves, we're wolves. We'll kill them!" Seth said with an anger rarely seen from him

"You don't understand, lycans are affected by a virus, the virus is activated during the phases of the moon, the closer they get to a full moon the more aggressive they get until the point of the full moon it takes over their bodies, and their minds, stripping them of all human thought and emotion. They are essentially no longer human. The human condition that we still all share is no longer a hindrance to them, no emotions, completely ruled by the instinct to kill"

"What Carlisle is trying to say is that they are animals, we are not, they are extremely strong and agile animals with a single purpose, to kill, driven by rage and aggression" interjected Edward.

The group were silent for a long time, each processing different parts of the information they had just been presented with. Bella was obviously distraught as her barrier had been extended across the group. Edward and Jasper understood this as neither could use their powers to understand or change the mood of the group. They glanced at each other concerned.

"We don't know how bad the situation is and until we know more this is only research based on a theory" Edward reminded everyone, trying mostly to calm his wife.

"I know what I know, I trust my own instincts, _tainted_ by human emotion or not, I know this is right" Jake challenged

"Yes Jake, I know, I have no reason to doubt you. All I want is to understand and hopefully prove the theory. At least then we can move forward with a firmer footing." Jake seemed sated with this comment.

"Carlisle, I need you to find out about new people in the area, Jake, I need you to keep an eye, or nose, out for any trails which match the clearing smells you found."

Jake looked at Leah expecting to see her seething at Edward for having the impetuousness for ordering her Alpha to do anything but her face was blank. Not looking at Edward at all but Seth. Jake was a touch annoyed at this.

Seth wanted a fight, Quil and Embry, were as usual, up for whatever but Leah should have been pushing back at the Cullens. He filed this thought for later and got his head back into the moment.

"OK, we'll keep alert" he said to Edward the other members of the pack nodding in agreement.

"Thank you Jake, thank you all" replied Edward.

"We need to get back, I have a shift at the hospital in two hours, I'll start asking around" said Carlisle.

The group started to break up into the separate groups and families, the pack moved toward the back door almost as one, Seth throwing a jaunty and unconcerned wave over his shoulder on the way out.

The Cullens moved toward the front door, Carlisle glancing at Edward and nodding not realising that Bella's barrier still shielded his thoughts from Edward leaving him in the dark for the first time in a long, long time.

When everyone had left, Edward moved to Bella's side and slid his arm protectively around her shoulder. "Bella, we don't know if any of this is close to being right"

Bella nodded

"Bella, come on talk to me" pleaded Edward

"The Volturi, Edward... I can't just forget everything they've put us through, what about Renesmee?"

"Bella, listen, we need to understand what we're dealing with, if the Volturi were around we'd know it by now, Alice would know"

Bella nodded, understanding the pressure she was putting on her husband. She stood up and nodded more decisively and felt Edward trying to read her thoughts, she compartmentalised her thoughts and dropped the barrier allowing Edward to read her thoughts, minus the worry.

He seemed to relax once he understood what she wanted him too and settled back.

"We'll know soon, it shouldn't take long to prove or disprove this, and Alice has already promised to track the Volturi so we're covered for now"

Bella nodded and smiled as warmly as she could. She stood and took Edward's hand and led him down the hall to the bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Following the moon – Chapter 7

The worry of the past two weeks showed on everyone. Carlisle had been tracking down anyone new in the area and looking for anyone acting aggressively, Edward had been doing the same and the wolves had been watching all the walkers in the area.

Alice had been watching her visions for anything unusual, but as no decisions were being consciously made and with the proximity of Jake's pack, it was a remote possibility that she would see anything.

Jasper had been researching more about the power of werewolves but it seemed to vary so much that a reasonably accurate picture was hard to make.

A few days before the full moon was due, there was another meeting to discuss any news, this time held at the wolf camp.

"We don't know anything more than we knew before!" Jake said venting his frustrations

"We have learned that there have been a few groups of drifters in the area recently, any of these people could be a pack. It is most likely to be one of the groups that we've seen in the area. They are being watched. Nor have we seen any major changes in behaviour from anyone we know of, there has been no increase in the reports of violence through the hospital either. Edward has been talking with the police in the area"

"They have not seen anything unusual either other than reporting a couple of minor disturbances with the drifters and as Carlisle said, they're being watched."

"What does all this mean, what do we know? Can we deal with the problem or not?" Jake almost shouted

Edward made a pointed reply "We know that we need to calm down and think about this. The werewolves are unlikely to be known in the area and that we need to be very careful if we find them"

Carlisle nodded "As you all know, I don't agree with the taking of a human life, whether they are aware of what they do or not, in this case there is too much risk to all of us to let them continue."

Leah had been ominously quiet during the short but heated confrontation, a situation she would unusually have turned to her advantage, or at the very least used to make a sniper like attack on the Cullens. This was not lost on Jake when she actually spoke "Carlisle, how does the virus spread. We've all heard the stories about being bitten etc etc but as the world is not overrun with them I assume this is either wrong or grossly exaggerated?"

Carlisle looked at Jasper "I think Jasper can answer this one better than I, he has been doing most of the research on this."

Edward heard Jasper's mind muttering that he would never be as knowledgeable as Carlisle. He was obviously uncomfortable with everyone watching him. Edward moved closer to Jasper and patted him encouragingly on the shoulder. "Go ahead Jasper" he said softly.

Jasper cleared his throat and spoke in a low soft voice "the stories seem to be accurate, well, consistent at least. The reason the world hasn't been overrun as you put it Leah, is because there are very few attacks which do not result in the death of the victim, these are so rare that most of the werewolves are thought to have the virus passed to them hereditarily".

"So what happens if one of them bites one of us?" asked Leah looking engaged in the conversation

"Well, there has only ever been one account of a vampire being bitten by a true Lycan, none of shape shifters being bitten. In your case we can only assume that the effect would be comparable to a shape shifter being bitten by a vampire, basically, not very nice, rather painful actually and without a happy ending, again, judging by the rare accounts of it happening. Bearing in mind most of those stories were passed down verbally by your clan for a number of generations before being committed to paper".

"And the vampire? What happened to it?" Leah asked

"Well, again, an assumption based on what was recorded and what we now understand, the viruses from the werewolf and the vampire fought within his body, neither was strong enough to win, in his case. From his view point, it was like being turned into a vampire, over and over again. Eventually he killed himself as the pain became too much to bear, even for his vampire body"

The vampires in the room looked bleakly at Jasper, the wolves looked almost disinterested, all except Leah. "Well, we'd better not let that happen then!" Leah said jovially, apparently trying to lift the mood in the room.

Jasper looked at his adopted family and with a single thought pushed out calming emotions, the faces around him lightened a little, enough. "Thank you Jasper" Carlisle and Bella whispered almost in union. Edward just nodded.

"We know where they'll be, or at least have a good idea of their routes. We should have the advantage in numbers, we know this thanks to Seth's dedication in tracking the scents from the area..." Seth smiled like he'd just won the lotto at being picked out and praised. "we have a good idea of numbers, either four or five, certainly no more than that. Armed with this information I think we have enough to set up a plan of attack. I've been to the area and there is a lot of good places to ambush them as they come past."

"What if they don't come, or only one comes, that's not a plan, it's a recipe for a disaster. Back to square one, but with a bunch of these things running around the area and none of us anywhere Renesmee, or anyone else for that matter" Jake said

"It's the best I can come up with, other ideas would be welcomed." Jasper replied openly staring pointedly at Jake.

Jake sighed, knowing he had nothing else to offer but hating himself for not being more prepared for this. He hadn't even been to the clearing since he talked to Carlisle. The past two weeks had been filled with a need to be near Renesmee, whether she knew it or not he had been within a hundred yards of her every moment for the last two weeks.

"OK then, if we don't have anything else to add I suggest we all head out to the clearing where they seem to travel in order to get our bearings. We'll do this once, and once only so be alert for everything. There is rain for the next few days which should dull most of our scents but we can't risk them knowing we've been there until we want them too."

Leah nodded quickly and Jake moved the pack toward the door. "We'll meet you there" he said as he pounded out of the door still showing signs of his frustration. The last view from the kitchen window was five phasing shapes hitting the forest about six feet above the ground.

"Let's go" Edward said shortly. "I suggest we take the cars there to mask the scent we leave in the surrounding area".

Carlisle nodded "They'll need to be heavy duty"

"Got it covered" replied Edward.

The six of them split into the two off road cars Edward had had the sense to buy, one was a Jeep the other a Toyota pickup truck. Bella was reminded of the first trip her and Edward had made, out into the middle of nowhere to meet his family and play baseball.

The car was almost identical, usually the family would have travelled there by foot but in this case, there were reasonable roads which would reduce the time taken in the cars but more importantly it would reduce the scent in the area and there was a possibility the smell of the trucks would mask any scent left over from their visit. Edward, Bella and Jasper rode in the Jeep while Carlisle, Esme and Alice rode behind in the Toyota.

They quickly made their way to the clearing, negotiating the off road terrain easily, the bouncing of the trucks through the forest somehow added to the urgency of the trip but gave the family a chance to slow down to collect their thoughts.

They arrived at the clearing the springs of the trucks bouncing as they came to a stop in the centre of the field. They were aware of eyes following them, assuming they belonged to the pack the hopped out of the cars without a second thought. Five shapes bounded out of the forest running quickly toward them growling and bearing their teeth.

Edward stopped, looking at the large red brown wolf "Stop Jake, calm down. It's us, you know it is". The large wolf shook out his fur and snorted, the hackles of the other wolves lowered. And they resumed their tracking slowly moving away from the cars.

"Edward, what was that?" Bella asked in a hushed tone still stiffened from the shock encounter.

"It's alright Bella, Jake and the pack have been here a while, they were so intent on getting as much information as possible they had given over almost completely to their instincts. It took a moment for them to get back to normal."

"What does that mean Edward, they were like the werewolves?"

"No, Bella" said Carlisle "they were still able to control themselves, they stopped before Edward and Jasper calmed them. A werewolf would have made no such move, they would have stalked us then attacked instantly. This is the difference, the understanding that no one could have hearing the story, you need to have faced one to truly understand."

Bella looked questioningly at Carlisle raising an eyebrow "No" he answered "but I have read enough to understand that words alone could not bring across the experience. Besides the pack, werewolves are our only real physical equal in the world, they are to be respected."

"Respected, I really don't think so Carlisle" Bella spat

"Respected, not for what they do, but what they _can_ do"

"He's right Bella, we must not underestimate this situation, anyone of us could be hurt and we don't know what the effect of even being bitten by one really is"

Bella looked at Edward and he felt the barrier rising again. He made no move to calm her this time. If they were to fight this they had to know the truth and they had to respect their enemy.

"Let's go, we need to look around and remember the area for next week, we'll be at a disadvantage if we don't and that's the last thing we need" Carlisle said, taking charge of the moment.

The Cullens nodded and moved out, looking at the surrounding area from every conceivable angle. They took to the trees and saw the clearing below, found rocky outcrops that they could use to their advantage.

They were all careful to stay reasonably clear of the pack as they went about a similar exercise. Understanding the area could be the key to winning the battle which was rapidly approaching.

The groups looked around the area for over an hour before believing that they knew the area well enough to get around under the stress of a fight.

Edward called Jake over, he lopped over without any hint of the previous hostility and Edward wondered if anyone in the pack would remember what happened later. "We need to clean the area, you guys head off and we'll meet back at the house"

Jake nodded and his eyes showed he understood. He and the pack moved as if one, melting into the forest. Edward could hear their progress for a short while, he looked at Jasper and smiled. "Time for some fun Jasper!"

The others looked on confused as Edward and Jasper rev'ed the trucks and launched over the clearing, swerving like maniacs, almost hitting each other more than once. After a few minutes as if choreographed they both drove toward the others and pulled hard on the handbrakes, sliding to a halt a mere meter in front of Carlisle and the ladies.

Bella tossed her head once tutting "you having fun? We've got problems here remember, we've got more important things to do than fulfil your need for a testosterone fix."

Edward stepped down from the cab of the Jeep "take a whiff" he said simply. Bella tuned her senses, the overwhelming smell of exhaust fumes fill the clearing, she could only just make out their faint scent under the torn up sods of grass but even then it was mingled with the smell of rubber and petrol fumes.

"OK then smart ass, lets go"

The Cullens climbed back into the trucks and headed home leaving the clearing for the last time before the full moon.


	8. Chapter 8

Following the moon – Chapter 8

Only a brief twenty four hours before the moon would be whole, it's power full. The clearing where the wolves and Cullens would set up their ambush was quiet. The slight breeze whipping through the tops of the trees and long grass the only trace of sound.

A rustle in the grass outside the clearing joined the soft sounds of the wind, a dark figure emerged slowly from the bordering trees head down, looking for something. Intent on the area directly in front of its face it failed to notice the blackbird high up in the canopy.

The dark silhouette moved further into the clearing. As the clouds past through the night sky the light from the waxing moon settled gently through the tall trees flooding into the clearing illuminating the wolf shaped figure still intent on its business.

"Interesting" the thought passed through the blackbird's mind. The bird ruffled its feathers and settled down to watch the activity below.

The wolf continued around the clearing, being careful not to go over its own tracks. Care was taken to leave little evidence of its passing. The bird cocked its head and settled down a few branches, curious

The wolf looked up, suddenly alert sniffing at the passing breeze, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It moved back out of the clearing the way it had come no longer looking at the ground but looking more intently at the trees and the other features in the area.

The blackbird hopped along never losing sight of the retreating wolf but not seeming to follow it either. The wolf continued to look at the forest, stopping at times apparently taking deep interest in the natural formations of rock, clusters of trees and deadfalls.

The blackbird spread his wings and flapped loudly. The wolf stopped abruptly, shooting a look straight at the bird. The bird stopped and stared back cocking its head to the side. The wolf leapt up the adjacent tree when he had reached about half way it used the tree to spring back and hurl itself straight at the bird.

The bird easily moved out of the wolf's flying path but having not expected the sudden and obviously aggressive move squawked with surprise and reeled back into the night sky. The angry scream that echoed from its departure seemed to satisfy the wolf as it dropped gracefully back down to the ground.

No longer feeling as safe and comfortable as before the encounter it sped off in the opposite direction to the bird.

Outside the Quileute's house the wolf phased back into human form and crept slowly through the backdoor. Only silence greeted him. Happy that the rest of the pack were sound asleep, resting before the assumed battle the following night he crept quietly down the hall and entered his room, closing the door without a sound.

He lowered himself into the bed and smiled knowing he had the edge to turn the tide of the battle if needed, he had the layout of the clearing and the full 500 yards of the surrounding forest imprinted on his brain. He knew where to step, where to leap, the branches which would hold his weight and give him the advantage of height if he needed it.

Still with his smile he drifted to sleep allowing the confidence to sweep over him until his gentle snores filled the room.

The next afternoon the pack and the Cullens met to go over the plans the last time, they met in Edward and Bella's house and Edward supplied a larger than usual banquet for the pack. Renesmee, picking up on the excitement of the day was jumping about like a jack in the box, equally sharing her attention around all who had gathered.

She had not been round so many people who loved her since she was born and those memories were fading. She was revelling in the attention when Edward pulled her aside and took her to her room, Esme greeted them both as they entered.

"Renesmee, mummy and daddy need to go out tonight but Granny Esme will be here to look after you. We won't be too late but we want to make sure you are OK." Edward said

"Where are you going daddy, why can't I come?" Renesmee put on her best puppy dog eyes and fluttered her eye lashes.

"You've spent too much time around Alice, little one" Esme said lightly

Renesmee smiled brightly "Did you like it?" Edward smiled and hugged Renesmee tightly.

"It was very good, and you almost won that time, keep practicing and you will one day!" said Edward trying to sound wise.

"Ok daddy! But you didn't answer me" Renesmee commented not fooled for a moment by her father's change of subject.

"We just need to pop into town tonight to have some dinner, you know we need to blend in as much as possible" Edward soothed

"OK daddy, I guess, Granny Esme, will you play Go-Gos with me before bed?"

"Of course, if I'd known I would have brought my own collection!" she said with a huge smile. "We can make your favourite dinner as well, does lasagne sound good?"

"Yes, but only if it's followed with brownies" she fluttered her eye lids again.

"OK, followed by brownies, deal!" Esme agreed

"You're too soft on her Esme" scolded Edward light heartedly

"Don't listen to daddy Granny Esme, I think you're just right!" she smiled brightly, tugging Esme into the hall and down toward the kitchen. Edward translated his daughter's retreating squeal as "and we need to make sure we have the chocolate too!" Edward smiled happily and slowly left the room, turning to glance at it once before striding down the hall to the lounge and back to the seemly heated debate going on between Jasper and Seth.

"I've been over every inch of that clearing, I would have found it! There's nowhere big enough to hide three wolves" Seth said with confidence.

"The large rock to the east will shield you for long enough, they'll be distracted by the rest of us, we need to have the ability to flank them and attack the full circle. It's our best and possibly only chance."

"How good is their sense of smell? Any ideas" interjected Leah

"There's nothing specific about that in the books or legends but we must assume they are on a par with yours." Replied Jasper

"Well, there's you answer then, we attack from above. The trees are high enough for us to hide the scent and also sturdy enough to hold our weight" Leah surprisingly constructively.

"We'd need to be downwind of them and we'd need to make an assumption about where they come from." Jasper retorted

"An assumption that we'll need to make no matter what the plan is" Leah pointed out.

"A good point, thank you Leah" Carlisle said nodding in slight surprise. Leah really had been helpful since this all came about, good constructive questions and answers. Carlisle was starting to like and trust her judgement, perhaps he'd been wrong to doubt her change.

"OK" Jake said, "that sounds like a plan, Jasper do you agree?"

"Yes, the points are fair it would give us an additional advantage." Jasper replied.

Edward looked at the group buoyed by their single focus and constructive discussions. He felt like this could really work. Mortal enemies working together toward a common goal. He felt good about this, he could read the thoughts of the group and heard similar thoughts.

At last the time had come. The dusk was coming slowly, they had to leave to get into their agreed positions well before full dark.

It took longer than Edward had planned to reach the clearing, dark was already falling. They raced to their positions, to late to change anything now, they expected the werewolf pack any time now. Edward cursed himself for not checking the small track which lead to the clearing. Heavy rain had made it more difficult to get through with the cars, he cursed himself for insisting they took them in the first place. All to cover a smell a werewolf might not sense anyway!

As they waited patiently, two wolves, Jake, and Leah, his second in the clearing, not hiding, hoping to draw the werewolves toward them Jake realised something was not right. The smell was wrong, the smell of the pack was too strong, one pack member in particular.

"Seth! What the hell? Have you been back here since we left?" Jake shouted in the pack mind

Seth visibly cringed as the force rocked through their minds. "I'm sorry Jake, I was careful, I didn't leave too much scent, no more than before, I needed to have the edge, without it you wouldn't have let me be up front!"

"Seth, you idiot, you didn't cover the scent, the place reeks of you!" shouted Leah, almost as powerfully as Jake, the Alpha

"Seth, move out, get out of here, now!" yelled Jake

"Jake, come on, it's too late to get into th..." Seth stopped, cut off by the sound of footsteps, or rather strides. Heavy and muffled, the unmistakable sound of wolves but this sound was irregular, two footed, not four.

"Incoming!" Shouted Jake in his mind knowing that not only his pack would hear, but Edward as well.

Three wolves burst through the trees, ripping, tearing and shredding the trunks as they flew through the barrier. They immediately saw the two four legged animals in front of them and seemed to accelerate even more, jaws wide, snarling.

Edward watched their progress from above, he noted the differences between the two sets of wolves almost clinically. The werewolves were taller, much taller than the pack because they ran upright. They were not as muscular in the legs but the shoulders and necks were a similar size.

They were formidable creatures, the weapons they carried were fearsome, the jaws, large and long combined the huge arms and hands tipped with long claws, easily outmatched the packs weapons. But the least obvious weapon was their most deadly, the lack of any emotion, even fear.

Edward tried desperately to scan their minds for any human thought, all he saw was red, no anger, no fear, no nothing, just red.

He watched the beasts progress as they arrowed toward the snarling decoys of Jake and Leah, clawing at the ground, employing all the warning behaviour of the animals racing toward them. Nothing slowed the beasts but suddenly, without warning they started angling to the left, then veering strongly. "Seth!" Jake shouted as he to tracked the sudden change in direction.

Three things happened at exactly the same time, two more of the beasts ripped through the forest barrier behind Seth, honing directly at his position as if nothing else was in the vicinity. The three snarling muzzles from the first set of brutes leapt in unison at Seth's position and Jake shot after them.

All hell broke loose, the carefully planned ambush fell apart, vampires and wolves dropped from the trees and leapt from behind rocks. Edward aimed at the mass of long matted hair closing on Seth's position from behind, Bella shooting after him.

Carlisle caught the foot of one of the lead werewolves but lost his grip. As it tumbled to the ground snarling, great drips of saliva dropping from its snout, roaring as it regained its footing and leapt directly at Carlisle with amazing speed. The leap was so fast and unexpected he barely had time to react, Carlisle felt the fabric of his shirt's collar tear with ease as the teeth snapped for his throat. Jasper leapt and, grabbing the damp lank hair, wrenched its head back and to the side its neck snapping like a twig. Jasper bound away to catch another.

Jake leapt at one of the beasts closest to Seth as it closed in snarling, he thumped hard into the muscular frame, it felt like hitting a brick wall but at the same time he extended his jaws and claws. A large gaping wound appeared on its jaw and neck as Jake felt his claws bite into hard yielding flesh. He felt the hot rain paste his face as he sprinted after the lead beast, still honing in on Seth.

The wounded werewolf somehow regained its feet, swaying drunkenly and staggered after Jake's now exposed back. Leah ten feet behind her alpha pounced on the weaving back tearing it apart through sheer anger at her brother's stupidity.

Seth had turned, now side by side with Edward who had seemingly appeared from nowhere. Edward, reading Seth's mind mimicked his movements perfectly as they raced toward the two oncoming figures. Edward leapt at the one closest while Seth crouched and slid underneath to get to the second one.

Quil and Embray reading each other's movements and knowing that their Alpha would not be able to reach the werewolf now quickly closing in on the exposed back of Seth and Edward sprung down from their elevated positions crashing in unison into the thick muscular back as its leg tensed making its final leap at its target. The sheer weight of the two wolves falling from such a distance made an audible crack as they hit its back, snapping the backbone in two. Bounding off it and twisting quickly to face their enemy, they saw it clawing toward them, using its arms. Snarling in disgust they threw themselves at it again and again careful not to be caught by its jaws or claws. The scene resembled two cats playing with a mouse but with much more dire consequences if the cats should make a mistake.

With an almighty crash Edward hit the werewolf above Seth's head the sound of stone striking metal echoed through the clearing Bella leapt toward her husband as the pair fell writhing to the ground, locked in mortal combat. Jaws snapped just millimetres in front of Edward's face. Bella landed on the werewolf's back distracting it long enough for Edward to strike a lethal blow to the throat of his attacker. His hand plunged into the thick neck cutting off the breath. Still, it took the combined strength of them both to tame the flailing limbs as it struggled through the death throws.

As he slid toward the final werewolf Seth, judged with exacting detail where his blow should land, he leapt strongly toward it waiting for the exact moment to throw his attack. The heavily guttural scream from the dying werewolf behind distracted him for an instant, he missed his moment and crashed into the werewolf without delivering the killing attack. Its jaw whipped around his neck and face, he had to use all his strength to hold back the roaring beast. "Seth, hold him! Just a moment longer! I'm coming!" Leah screamed at him.

Leah had bounded past Jake, Edward and Bella in the attempt to rescue her brother, she pounced, teeth bared, aiming straight for the throat. The second before she connected, Seth's strength failed and the beast dropped closer to its intended victim. Leah, aim now slightly off, caught the right eye socket, tearing and biting as she flew past her target.

It bellowed a roar as it stood up and immediately plunged back at Seth, using all its strength to break through his defences. Seth was scrabbling and pawing at the ground, trying to use the distraction his sister had caused to get away when he felt a shearing pain in his back. He was lifted up and flung in the air as if as light as a feather. The pain scorched his back and ran through his veins as if lava was being piped through his body. He screamed without knowing he had. Another bolt of pain plunged through his body as he was dragged back out of the air by his left shoulder.

The last thing he heard was rock meeting metal again and again, snarling and ripping anger flowing through his mind, not that any of that mattered, or existed, his world was now pain, a pain to heavy to move under. His world went black, the pain scorching everything, destroying his world burying it under the ash of this memory.


End file.
